VS.
ACTING:
“Sands of Iwo Jima” is a John Wayne movie and he gives one of his best performances. He was nominated for Best Actor. Sgt. Stryker became his most iconic role and he brings the full force of his charisma to it. The character is a bit more dimensional than his cowboy characters. He gets to play tough, empathetic, drunk, morose, heroic. He is outstanding. The supporting cast is adequate and very old schoolish. John Agar is the “I can’t live up to my dead father who happened to be a mentor for Stryker” so I will hate Stryker instead guy. Forest Tucker is the Stryker foe. Throw in an aggravating Italian Brooklynite for dubious comic relief. The actual war heroes inserted into the cast can best be described as “not actors”.
“When Trumpets Fade” is dominated by Ron Eldard as
the anti-hero David Manning. It is a
remarkable performance. The character is
far from stereotypical. He is a survivor
loaded with PTSD and a cynical anti-authority attitude who is thrust into an
authority position. Eldard plays him as
a guy who would have despised Stryker.
The supporting cast is satisfactory.
Martin Donovan is excellent as Capt. Pritchett. Zac Orth does good work as the "dead meat"
Sanderson.
FIRST QUARTER:
Sands of Iwo Jima 8
When Trumpets Fade 8
When Trumpets Fade 8
CLICHES:
“When Trumpets Fade” was obviously made with
cliché-busting in mind. However, it is a
war movie so you do have some familiar elements. It has a dedication to the men who fought in
the Hurtgen Forest. There is a mission
(actually two), but reluctantly led by an anti-hero. You definitely have the leadership forced on
the main character trope, but the twist is that he fights against it and is
downright surly. Does Manning get
redemption? He would certainly have
sneered at that. There are no rituals
that I noticed. Kudos for reversing the
“fat guy with glasses must die” cliché.
HALFTIME SCORE:
Sands of Iwo Jima 14
When Trumpets Fade 16
PLOT:
“Sands of Iwo Jima” is your standard boot camp to battle flic. Stryker inherits a motley group of Marines and trains them in a tough love way for the realities of battle. Meanwhile, conflicts within the unit are developed so that combat can resolve them. There are two battle scenes. The first to establish heroism and the realities of war (Tarawa). The second to show the success of the unit evolution as it accomplishes a mission (Iwo Jima). The flow from training to off base to training to combat is smooth and entertaining, if predictable.
“When Trumpets Fade” has an anti-hero thrust into
command of a squad of replacements.
There is no training or bonding.
Manning does not want to lead and does not care about his charges. The traditional early arc of a combat film is
dispensed with. The transitions are mainly
from Manning encountering authority to combat sequences. Similar to “Sands”, there are two main combat
scenes. Unlike “Sands”, these episodes
are basically the suicide mission variety.
Both movies have the “who will survive?” vibe.
THIRD QUARTER:
Sands of Iwo Jima 21
When Trumpets Fade 25
COMBAT:
“Sands of Jima” has two big combat scenes- Tarawa and
Iwo Jima. In the first, Stryker takes
out a bunker in typical John Wayne fashion.
Considering the potential inherent in the Battle of Tarawa, the movie is
surprisingly lacking in action. A
promised night banzai charge never materializes (WTF?) and only the first day of the
three day battle is shown. Big letdown. The Battle of Iwo Jima is more intense and
satisfying although it relies substantially on actual footage (but very well
used). The violence is very old school. There is little blood although we do get some
bullet wounds. Nothing women can’t
handle. However, men will probably cry
(you know what I’m talking about, guys).
“When Trumpets Fade” is from the VioLingo school
and intentionally pushes the envelope created by movies like “Sands”. It also has two major combat sequences. The first is the mission to take out the
artillery battery. Manning is forced to
shoot one of the replacements who has freaked out and is causing the rest to
panic. Sanderson uses a flamethrower to
roast the Germans. The second mission is
similar with the target being some emplaced tanks. This time grenades and Thompsons and Garands
are more de rigueur. The movie throws in
two larger group actions involving the graphic results of sustained artillery
fire. The wounds are graphic and bloody
and there are numerous delimbings. Plus
two losers of battles with flamethrowers.
FINAL SCORE:
Sands of Iwo Jima 27
When Trumpets Fade 34
COLOR ANALYSIS: This was a great match-up between Old School and VioLingo. VioLingo is what I am trying out as my name for modern war movies that feature realistic violence and soldier talk and behavior. The two movies could not be more opposite. "Trumpets" is over the top in its "war is Hell" theme and "Sands" is one of the few war movies that is not definitively anti-war. It is almost like Stryker's death was written in because the director decided it was needed to soften the film's glamorization of war. Certainly, no one who watches "Trumpets" rushes out to join the Army, whereas many joined the Marines due to "Sands". Another fascinating match-up was that of hero Stryker vs. anti-hero Manning. The hero vs. anti-hero is a crucial difference between Old School and VioLingo. It will be interesting to see how future bouts between these schools will turn out. For example, "Guadalcanal Diary" against "Saving Private Ryan".
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